Drinking coffee doesn't actually sober you up after a night out

If you've ever woken up still a little tipsy after a big night, it's pretty likely you've tried downing a load of coffee to sober up in the morning.

It makes sense right? It helps us feel alive every other morning, so surely it should help us sober up? Turns out that's not quite true.

According to professor Tony Moss of London South Bank University, coffee doesn’t help decrease blood alcohol levels. The professor says that while you may feel more alert from the caffeine, your hand-eye coordination and other motor skills will still be suffering as a result of the alc.

Moss got five students to participate in an experiment where each participant drank a vodka and tonic that contained enough alcohol to make them feel tipsy, based on their individual height and weight.

They then took part in a simple hand-eye coordination test where they had to guide a metal hoop around a wire without making contact. All students failed the task. They then repeated the experiment after drinking a strong cup of coffee, where they felt more alert but still failed the experiment.

Professor Moss also breathalysed the students, finding their blood alcohol levels did not drop after drinking the coffee.

"We know from wider research that coffee isn’t an antidote to alcohol," he said.

"Taking coffee is a stimulant that will reverse that feeling of being slightly tired as your blood alcohol is coming down. The only thing that’s going to sober you up in that respect is a bit of time."